Striving for Infamy
by XxXshadowkitsuXxX
Summary: A young pilot dreams of being known by all. But his dream is something that no one wants to come true. What is his this unachievable goal? And why does want it so bad? Not the best summary, sorry. Rating may go up.


**First off, sorry about any grammar or spelling errors in the story. I've gone over it several times but I'm not perfect. If you see something I missed feel free to let me know in a review or PM and fix it up when I can. This may not update often, at the very _least_ monthly. I'm juggling three different fics, two of my own and one collaboration, and my personal life so don't get mad if it doesn't update the same time every time. I no longer have my beta reader as she has gone missing, again, and I'm looking for someone else in the mean time. I do not own Star Fox. It belongs to Nintendo and whoever else.**

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It was his nemesis. Everyday it made itself known at the worst possible time. This time Alex would end it for good. He grabbed the source of his discomfort, and sent it flying into the closest wall that his minimal strength would allow. A grimace coated his muzzle at the sound of the weak impact his toss caused. He wanted to end it once and for all, but his body wouldn't let him.

"Stupid clock," the fox muttered as he sat up in bed.

Glancing at the small device on the floor, which still squawked in defiance, Alex laid there staring at the ceiling for a moment. Voices walked in and out of his mind. Emotions nudged his brain, trying to get attention and reaction, but he ignored them. Alex got up and stretched, pushing the thoughts of others to the back of his mind. Grabbing some clothes and a towel, he headed into his shower. The hot water rushed over his white and black fur. He allowed a smile to grace his lips as a particular thought crossed his mind. His landlord was worrying about something again. The fox's stomach made itself known, demanding its nutrition for the morning.

Hurriedly dressing in a pair of gray cargo pants and white t-shirt, Alex went to the fridge for food. His options were very limited. Some of it smelled like they needed to be thrown out. Deciding toast would be his best choice at the moment, he grabbed his things from his room. Wallet, phone, keys, pocket knife, sunglasses, it wasn't sunny out but he liked wearing them for looks. Grabbing his toast and a jacket, the fox left his apartment in search of groceries. He descended the three flights of stairs to the ground floor, an old dog sat grumbling behind the sign-in counter.

"Get her the earrings and take her to dinner." he said as he walked out the front doors.

"Wait, what?" the dog sputtered, but Alex was already gone.

He walked down the street, dark gray clouds looming overhead. The people of the city scurried like ants due to the impending rain. Vehicles zoomed here and there as he continued walking. It was supposed to be a resort of a planet, but only people looking for work came here. Since the end of the Lylat Wars, Zoness has slowly been recovering and getting back on its feet. Luckily, the aparoids had some how skimmed over the planet, ignoring it completely. Now that businesses were up and running again, jobs popped up everywhere. The population sky rocketed raising the prices of everything so only those that absolutely needed it could afford it.

Now a small section of the city is home to low lives that prey on the helpless. That's where being a bounty hunter helps. He helped local law enforcers hunt down assholes for money. It puts food on his table and keeps others safe. But that's not why he does it. He tracks down the small fry that lead to the big fish, the ones that bring in the big bucks. Not only that, bailing out the low levels leads to great information sources in the future. Losing enough of himself in thought, Alex entered a market store.

Food of various kinds lined the aisles. Grabbing a small basket he went and started stuffing the usual assorted goods in it. He rounded an aisle and bumped into something. A young pup smacked into his leg, plopping to the ground. Her ice cream crashed to the floor. When she noticed, a small whimper escaped her as she looked up at the fox she had run into.

"I'm so sorry, sir."the child's mother said.

Alex glanced over his shades and stared down at the two. With his dark glasses and jacket, he looked pretty intimidating, which is what the look was supposed to do. Crouching down next to the girl, he took off his shades.

"I'm sorry I knocked over your ice cream." he pulled out a few bills and handed them to her mother. "Here's some money for another."

"That's not necessary," she tried to give it back.

Alex stood back up, "I insist."

He walked away and grabbed the rest of the food he needed. This wasn't the first time he had done that, sometimes it was candy or a balloon, he just had a soft spot for kids. It was a mystery even to him. Alex paid for his groceries and walked out, a downpour of rain meet him at the exit. Putting his hood up, the fox started the return back to his humble apartment. After getting soaked to the bone, he finally made it inside to the lobby. A blue vixen stood at the counter tapping on the bell.

"Hello? Is there anyone here?" she yelled back at the landlord's living area.

"They're at dinner. It's their anniversary." Alex said, making her jump.

"Damn, everywhere else is full and now it's down pouring."

"Hate to break it to you, but I think this place is booked too," he said. "I could be wrong though."

She let out a growl of frustration. "Great, now what do I do?"

Something was odd about her. Not only did she look familiar, but her thoughts were immune to his 'gift'. No matter how much he tried to read her nothing seemed to work. This puzzled him. It made him curious. Who was she? There was only one way to find out.

"You can chill with me. I don't mind. At least until they get back from their night out. Come on, grab your stuff my hands are full," he headed up the stairs.

The vixen hesitated before picking up her things and rushing to catch up. They entered and Alex flipped on a light. His apartment was several times nicer than it any of the others thanks to his money. The hardwood floors spread into every room, the kitchen had been completely redone, everything was brand new. All the original stuff had been torn out to make way for his picky lifestyle. The female place her bags by the door, inspecting everything.

"Nice place."

"Thanks, make yourself at home," he started putting his groceries away.

He kept an eye on her. She went around looking over every single thing in sight. Her fingers danced over surfaces, eyes studying every object, it was as if she had never seen anything like it.

"So what's your name?"

"Krystal." she replied, still entranced by his odds and ends. "And yours?"

"Alex. Thirsty?"

"No thanks." Krystal continued to scan his belongings.

It was almost funny watching how intrigued the woman was with everything. Taking off his shades, Alex studied her. Normal clothes, other than the bands on her tail, and she didn't seem to mind strangers. No visible weapons, relaxed attitude, care-free smile, what was with this chick?

"Don't get use to this. My apartment is the only one like this in the entire building. I had to tear down a wall just to make enough room."

"How did the landlord take it?"

"He didn't put up much of a fuss. I compensated him for the room." he answered.

She raised an eyebrow. "You must have quite a bit of money."

Alex shrugged. "Not really, just saved up a bit. I'm almost broke. I pretty much spent the last of my money on food. If anything else goes wrong, I'm screwed."

"What kind of work do you do?"

He thought for a moment before answering. "I pick up trash off the street. Gotta keep Zoness looking good for tourists."

"Now why don't I believe you?" her little exploration had led her to the kitchen.

He put his shades back on, and shrugged. "You don't have to."

"Trust me, I'm very good at finding the truth."

Now she made him nervous. He hurried out of the kitchen to the couch. Her mind was still blocked which was really getting annoying. Alex listened carefully to the voices in his mind. Hundreds of them struggled for his attention, but none sounded like this woman. Was she like him, or did she have something that blocked her thoughts? It worried him a little not knowing what she was thinking. Suddenly, a pair of thoughts wormed their way into his contemplation. They landlord and his wife were finally back.

Pulling out his cell phone, Alex pretended to get a text message.

"Looks like the landlord is back if you want to talk to him. He just got in."

"How do you know?" Krystal asked.

Alex waved his phone in front of her. "They leave me in charge sometimes since I'm one of the more permanent residents."

It was only a half-lie, but it would keep her from suspecting him.

"Good, mind if I leave my stuff here while I go talk with him?"

He shook his head and she hurried out the door. Alex quickly dialed a number on his phone. After a few short rings, someone answered.

"Hey Alex," answered a female voice. "I was wondering when I'd hear from you again. How's it going?"

"Something's come up. It's a woman." the fox said.

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "I've told you before. If you can't keep it in your pants, don't take it out."

"This is serious. I can't read her mind. I'm getting absolutely nothing." he retorted.

There was a pause. "You sure?"

"Positive. She's downstairs trying to get a place here. Do you think she's one of them?" the fox asked.

"Take it easy. Start from the beginning. What do you know about her?" the other person asked.

"Her name's Krystal. She's a fox with blue fur. About five and a half feet tall. She looks like she's in her early to mid twenties."

The other person started laughing uncontrollably. Alex growled into the phone. "This is important."

"Sorry about that." the person slowly calmed back down, "You honestly don't know who that is?"

"She looks familiar, but no, not really."

There was another pause. "Okay, don't flip out. Play it cool. She's with Star Fox."

Alex's hand gradually tightened around the phone. It took every bit of self-control not to fling it across the room. He felt like an idiot. Why didn't he make the connection sooner? His cell continued to squawk with noise as he sat down.

"Hello? You still there?"

"Sorry, just a little frustrated. What should I do about her?" he questioned.

"Trust your instincts. Is she a threat?"

"I don't think so. But why else would she be here? Do you think they sent her?" he asked.

"I don't know. Just keep your distance. Remember, she's a telepath too, but she's probably a master at her abilities so be careful. If you want, you can come crash here for a bit."

"I'll keep that in mind." Alex glanced over to the door which had been left slightly ajar. "Get the others ready. It might be a good time for a hunt. I'll meet you there."

"Got it. See you in a few."

Alex hung up. He was getting a headache. It didn't make sense. What was a member of Star Fox doing out in the middle of nowhere. There's no way she was here by herself. That meant the rest of the crew was hiding somewhere not to far away. If only he could figure out where. Just as he was about to leave, Krystal returned.

"Did you have any luck?"

"Not really. He said there was someone that's behind on money, and if they don't pay up soon he'll have to kick them out. But they still have a couple of days until then." she explained.

"So now what? Do have some friends you can crash with for a few days?"

She looked everywhere but at him. "Not really. I know someone a little ways off, but she doesn't have any room."

The next sentence escaped before he could process it. "You can stay here."

The vixen gave him a suspicious look, "Why?"

"I don't bite and it's only a couple of days. You stay out of my way when I'm busy and you can do whatever you want." He couldn't stop himself.

"I don't know..."

"I have a guest room that's going to be way better than anything else you could find. Just had it cleaned a few days ago." What was wrong with his brain?

She seemed to be sizing him up. His guess was that she couldn't read his mind either and she didn't trust him. He pushed past her, needing to clear his mind before he said something even more stupid.

"Just think about it for now. I've gotta run somewhere for a bit. Do whatever you want until I get back." Alex rushed down the stairs.

Pulling up his hood and pushing up his sunglasses, the hunter stepped out into the streets. Alex mentally smacked himself for not being able to shut his mouth earlier. He tried to stay focus instead of berating himself. The streets were nearly empty save for the last-minute person getting home from work. Rain continued to flood the city. At least it wasn't as acidic as it use to be. Walking home in that stuff had not been fun at all.

There was a splash behind him. His hunch was right. Krystal was following him. He couldn't lead her to the others. Ducking into an alley, Alex swiftly climbed a fire escaped and made his way roof to roof. He dove for the nearest ledge and jumped down, finding another ladder. His ears listened for any other signs of pursuit. Metal clattered and footsteps came from the roof. Risking a peak, Alex peered over the ledge. Krystal was facing the other way, cautiously searching for any trail to follow. Taking the opportunity, he slid down the ladder only to find it didn't go all the way down. He fell a good ways down, crashing into several garbage cans. Quickly getting to his feet, he charged out of the alley and back onto the street.

The road he had popped out on was a bit more crowded. Making sure it was safe, he darted across the road and hid around the corner. Not seconds later, Krystal exited the alley. She just wouldn't give up. It looked like she was about to give up when she hurried across the road as well. How was she tracking him? Alex quickly turned around and easily blended in with everyone else. It had to be her telepathy, but how? Maybe she could enter his mind even though he couldn't do it to her. Alex pulled out his cell and redialed the last number.

"I've got another problem."

"What's going on?" his friend asked.

"She's following me. I can't shake her. Get set up, I want you watching my back when I arrive."

"Be careful, we don't know why she's following you. Is she armed?"

"I don't think so. I think she's just suspicious." He glance back to see if she was still following.

"Why would she be?"

There was a brief flash of blue fur not too far behind him. "I think she overheard my call earlier."

"Just get her here and we'll deal with it."

"Don't hurt her." Alex said, "Make it enough to scare her."

"If you say so."

"Almost there." he hung up.

If he couldn't shake this persistent vixen, then he'd have to trap her. He had to admit she was good, but he was better. Before this was over, Alex would have his answers, one way or another.

**Please review!**


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